A Clone
by ashangel101010
Summary: Requested by JackalyenMystique of DeviantArt. Set right after season two. Palladium is not at all prepared for the real Avalon, especially when he's reminded of his relationship with the imposter.


A Clone

* * *

Suggested Theme:

Main Theme- Do You Love Me? By Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

* * *

Palladium knows that his _evolution_ has made him far more appealing to a variety of people. Even to Professor DuFour and Nurse Ofelia. He doesn't care for the attention that the opposite sex gives him; his childhood mistreatment by the _fairer_ sex contributed to his romantic repulsion. In all honesty, he never liked any attention that people paid him, except for his students when he needs them to pay attention and learn.

And, like the darkest of truths, Avalon comes along to pay him attention, the kind of attention that doesn't make him inwardly squirm in discomfort. The Paladin is divine and enigmatic; never a dull time with that Cloud Spirit. Unfortunately, Avalon isn't Avalon; he's an imposter that kidnaps Bloom for Darkar. Needless to say, once Palladium finds this out, he pretty much does the only sensible thing he can. He helps protect the school and celebrates once Darkar is defeated. And then, after the party, he goes to his room to take a scalding shower and cries. A lot.

 **KNOCK**

 **KNOCK**

 **KNOCK**

 **KNOCK**

"Oh, that must be Wizgiz probably here for the nightcap." Palladium hurriedly shuts off the shower and casts a quick glamour spell over his face, to hide away the evidence of his crying. He's not in the mood for questions or to be cheered up. His heart is broken and he would likely to quickly return to his ruing.

"Hell—oh, you were tall and fair-haired at the party." And by the cruel will of Nature, Avalon, the real one, is at his door. Palladium doesn't process Avalon's comment for about ten seconds because he's just shocked at the "coincidence" about how the real Avalon is meeting him. It's almost exactly like the first time that the imposter introduce himself to Palladium…

* * *

 _ **KNOCK**_

 _ **KNOCK**_

 _ **KNOCK**_

 _ **KNOCK**_

 _Palladium hears the persistent knocking on his door; he turns off the shower and puts on a quick change of clothes before finally getting the door. At his door is the new Magiphilosophy professor, Professor Avalon. The Paladin's white suit fits him like armor and his blue-black hair is bound in a tight braid. He has a smile on his face and his eyes shine like two black monoliths._

" _Hello, or rather I must apologize. I didn't mean to interrupt your bath." Palladium feels his wet hair soak his back; he regrets not doing a quick heat spell on his hair, but then again he wasn't expecting anyone of importance._

" _Shower, and I was done anyways. So what can I do for you, Professor Avalon?" Before his evolution, Palladium would have just gracelessly speak in monosyllables. Now, he's smoother than a Space Goblin's head._

" _I heard that you wanted someone to go with you to collect some rare flowers. And I do wish to explore more of Magix." Earlier, Palladium inquired amongst the staff if anyone wanted to go flower-picking with him; it was a resounding no from everyone on the grounds that they were busy._

" _That would be wonderful! We can go after breakfast and I'll bring lunch; it takes a while before I find what I'm looking for."_ _ **Story of my life**_ _, Palladium wistfully thinks. Professor Avalon smiles, pleased by his acceptance and takes his leave like the polite Paladin he is._

* * *

Palladium rudely shuts his door and runs back into his bathroom for the mirror. He nearly bemoans at his reflection. His straight, golden hair has turned into a shapeless mass of ginger-brown hair. His triangular face has become a rounded heart. His lightly-tanned skin is raw peach. His ears are smaller but still pointed, but his nose has become like a little button again. Worst of all, he's become lanky and short again. _Well, that explains why my blouse seems a couple sizes too large_. Palladium is wondering if his evolution spell somehow broke which shouldn't be possible.

"As long as I'm not weak." Palladium recites the potential flaw in the evolution spell. He remembers being told this when he first learned the spell on Planet Bluff; as long as he is strong then he will be strong. Palladium almost clamps his mouth with one hand; he finally realizes that his voice is back to that high-pitched, squeaky mess that it was.

"By Morgaine's mask, I forgot about Avalon!" He winces at hearing his own voice again. He runs back to the door and opens it, half-expecting the real Avalon to not be there. But, perhaps out of politeness, Avalon is there and not looking offended by Palladium's sudden rudeness.

"So, what are you here for?" Palladium does not even provide Avalon an explanation for his changed appearance or sudden, previous departure. He wants to get the Paladin out of his hair as soon as possible, so he can figure out if his evolution is permanently broken.

"Well, I was wondering if could accompany you on your rare flora hunt. I here that you like to have company on your trips." Palladium's heart nearly seizes at Avalon's words; he is reminded of the imposter and where it all eventually led. However, this Avalon is not some tainted Cloud Spirit being controlled by Darkar; rather, he's a newly freed man sprung from Darkar's dungeon. He's harmless.

"Okay, let's meet after breakfast." Normally, it takes him nearly a day before he's satisfied with his flower-collecting. This time, he hopes to make the trip go by as quickly as possible.

"That will be wonderful; I'll bring lunch in case it runs long." A wave of nausea hits Palladium to the point where he can only weakly nod and watches as Avalon leaves before finally closing the door. He returns to his bathroom and splashes water on his face to calm down. He looks up and sees that he's back to his evolved form.

"It's Avalon, isn't it? He's making me weak again…."

* * *

 _After sacrificing his Golden Mercury Flytrap for a potion to save Avalon, Palladium and Avalon became close, so much closer. They would have lunch together, chat in between classes, and even return to hunting rare flowers together. Palladium loves to be around Avalon, to the point where he has indulged in Avalon's peculiar requests. He cannot find himself able to refuse Avalon. To the point where he gives the Cloud Spirit his innocence before the month's out._

* * *

Palladium is roaming the forests of Magix with Avalon, the real one. They've been wandering for hours and have found nothing. Avalon makes idle small talk and Palladium does his best to reply, but he's mostly speaking in monosyllables. He's trying not to be caught unawares again; he doesn't wish to regress in his evolution lest the spell finally breaks forever. Inwardly, he pities Avalon for interacting with him; the Paladin must surely be bored with their one-sided conversations.

"Palladium, what kind of flower is this?" The only way Avalon is able to pull more than one word from the Woodland Elf's mouth is by asking him plant-related questions. Palladium cannot resist in imparting his flora knowledge; hardly anyone ask to be lectured, except for Flora, on the variety of flora that exists in the magical universe.

"That's the Red-Gilded Venus Fly Orchid; it's very useful for hypnosis spells." The Red-Gilded Venus Fly Orchid is actually a cousin to the Golden Mercury Flytrap; physically, the orchid is just a shade brighter than the flytrap. Part of him, roiling in him like a smoke storm, hopes that Avalon gets poisoned like his imposter; repeat the past, hopefully for a happier ending.

"Yes, onward and upward, / And I'm off to find love / Do you love me? / If you do, I'm thankful." Palladium hollowly hums under his breath; it's a song that the imposter taught him during their time together. Each lyric was a piece of a puzzle that became only solved when they were over. The first time he heard the song, or a sliver of it, was when he and the imposter…

* * *

 _Palladium once again indulges one of Avalon's peculiar requests, and he sort of regrets it. This isn't like the time where they went hunting down a Space Goblin Witch; no, this is far more humorless. It's intimate; it's vulnerability. It's a place where innocence is lost; they are roaming through Black Mud Swamp._

 _He sort of regrets taking Avalon there, not because it's late at night where dangerous creatures are tearing their victims apart, but because he's hallucinating. He knows that he's hallucinating because this is what always happen when he drinks one of Wizgiz's nightcap whiskeys at one of Wizgiz's small parties; always, he swears that he won't partake in the magical drink, but he always relents when Wizgiz slyly convinces him after a couple of jokes. Avalon was there, like a wayward soul, and saw him there. Now, they are waddling through the black mud to reach a thin strip of land._

 _Palladium knows his boots and pants can handle the murky mud, but he knows that Avalon's nice white shoes and pants aren't made for this muck. And he's proven correct, he sees the darkness of the mud staining the Paladin's shoes like slap marks from the starless night. Avalon doesn't seem fazed by this, rather he's smiling disarmingly like a dreamy pan._

" _You should strip out of those clothes or you'll catch a cold." Palladium almost slaps himself at his own silly suggestion. It's not even cold outside and the swamp is surprisingly sticky with heat; but Avalon, with a kittenish expression, strips out of his clothes. Palladium feels himself shiver and blush harder than he did the time when Avalon called him a true friend. In an instance, he feels himself get smaller, feels his clothes become looser._

" _Here, let me help you." And in a blink, Palladium finds himself as bare as Avalon but somehow far more naked than the sly Paladin. The Woodland Elf licks his lips, feeling like he should say something. But then, he sees wings of light come out of Avalon, and he's enshrouded by the Cloud Spirit. He feels his mouth being paralyzed by Avalon's thin, cunning lips. He feels his body being petted drowsily; he feels curvatures of words being pressed into his ears._

" _ **Dreams that roam between truth and untruth,**_

 _ **Memories that become monstrous lies.**_

 _ **So onward and onward and onward I go,**_

 _ **Onward and upward and I'm off to find love."**_

" _Ah!" Palladium hazily utters when he meant to ask what Avalon was going on about. The Cloud Spirit has found something that Palladium could never have found on his own; the Paladin has it in his grasp. He sees red wounds stretch across the Cloud Spirit's face like he's been scarred by a demon; his perfect teeth have become fangs like they are made for tearing delicate elf skin. Palladium is unafraid by this, for he knows perfectly well that Wizgiz's drink is messing with his mind. He accepts this tainted Cloud Spirit like his childhood welts, quietly and spiritually._

" _ **With blue-black bracelets on my wrists and my ankles,**_

 _ **And the coins in my pocket goin' jingle-jangle**_

 _ **Do you love me? Do you love me?**_

 _ **Do you love me? Do you love me?"**_

 _Oh, he loves him. Palladium loves him more than the Voice of Nature. Loves him enough to let Avalon seep into him like a fever, allowing his innocence to be mauled and mangled by the tainted Cloud Spirit. The dark Paladin's eyes burn him through their night together. And, subsequently, every night after like a penance._

* * *

They have a picnic; it's a quiet affair of delicious foods and refreshing drinks. Avalon once again makes small talk, asking him about his childhood. Palladium briefly recounts that his childhood was just one giant treasure hunt; when the imposter asked him, he regaled anecdotes about his intrepid, aimless youth. And, out of courtesy, Palladiums asks Avalon about his even though he knows the answer; Cloud Spirits don't have childhoods since they were born as adults, but they have a learning period that is similar to childhood. And of course, the real Avalon gives the same answers, and Palladium fakes an interested smile.

They walk back to Alfea together. More idle chatter and periods of silence elapse between them once more; it's their pattern. Overall, Palladium found it pleasant, so long as he wasn't focusing on the imposter. The real Avalon is kind and not a complete mystery that would mock him; he likes him as much as he can. As much as the imposter will let him.

"That was lovely, hope we can do this again sometime." Palladium hears Avalon say; he almost questions the Paladin's sincerity because it's a residual habit he had with the imposter. He remembers that this is the real Avalon, not the imposter. They are two completely different people in the sense that the real Avalon has yet to betray him. _And maybe never will_ , he admits unwillingly.

"Yes." And like an unbreakable routine, he kisses Avalon on the lips. It's not a passionate savagery that he and the imposter shared; it's chaste and quaint. He sees the evident shock on the Paladin's face; there's no disgust, but there's no acceptance. And Palladium leaves wordlessly for his room; he's tired, feeling weak again. Feeling himself regress in his evolution again like a verbal slap to his soul.

"So, Voice of Nature, any advice to give me?" Palladium asks out loud in his room with a mixture of impudence and sorrow. He hears nothing, but his heart beating weakly. He wonders if this is the right time to run, run far away from Alfea. Like in his Realm, there's nothing keeping him here; he has no family, no honor-bound duty. He lets out a strangled laugh when he realizes that he's only staying because he's weak, so utterly weak. And who has made him weak?

" _Avalon…..I love you."_

* * *

 **Author's Comments-** All thanks to JackalyenMystique on DeviantArt for getting me back in the mood to write a one-shot about Palladium and Avalon again. My last one-shot for those two was more than two years ago. I think I may have strayed from what she asked, but I did sort of deliver a Palladium/Avalon one-shot; it's just not as happy as I originally intended it to be. It's probably because of the song I chose for this story which helped fuel my motivation to write it.

Largely, this story is about Palladium dealing with the real Avalon but being proactively interfered by the imposter. I decided to use both the 4Kids and RAI English versions of the show with a bit more emphasis on the on the 4Kids since that was what I grew up with; man, try watching the "Pixie Village/ First Charmix" episodes of each respective versions and the differences are out of this world! As much as I liked Nick's explanation for Avalon being Darkar in that special, I decided to go with the non-Nick series Avalon even though it is never once answered whatever happened to the imposter Avalon. At all. I would highly recommend listening to the song that is in the main theme because I did somewhat incorporate it, but if you read the lyrics for the song I decided not to follow the song's story. Also, I decided to steal the _Howl's Moving Castle_ curse of Sophie for Palladium because I don't like his "evolved" form; basically, it's just discount Tolkien Elves and I've seen those kind of elves being used too much in a variety of media to the point where they've ceased becoming homages to the LOTR and more like uninspired, cheap designs. I know the show certainly likes to reference Tolkien, look at season six's Treants, but I'm just not into it. I also made a not-so subtle _Doctor Who_ and DC references; probably should've done Marvel considering season two's Dark Bloom, but she's not in it.

I probably should write some sort of one-shot about Dark Bloom because I actually liked her even if she isn't as intimidating as Dark Phoenix. However, I already have one Anagan/Flora one-shot in the pipeline and another chapter for _Connected_ that needs to be finished…hopefully before 2017.


End file.
